The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-05-08
Investigating General Thomas
POsey's Paternity.
THE POSEYS AND WASHINGT0NS
With General Posey's Great
Grandson.

ShaWneetOwn, Ill where zen. Iuouas s.
Posey is buried, relating tradition OF n
his paternity, was read IN Lexington !.
with much interest, as two of our prom u
inent citizens are known to be great I
grandson of Gen Posey-George Wilson ;
and Captain Joseph Alexander Wilson, {
respectively president and cashier OF !
the Lafayette County Bank. Their
brother. who grew up here, went west.
and was appointed superintendent of
the mint at Denver, is named Posey
Wilson, and is said to strongly resem-
his anc stor. Presuming on the good
nature of the frst-named Of these three
brothers, your correspondent sought
and found him at his bachelor home on
Second Street, and inquired if he had
seen the letter referred to, and what !
foundation, if any, there might be for
It's statements.
II am not sorry you came said he,
and pointing to pile of papers, old yell
low letters, etc., continued: Il was at
the moment examining the evidence in
the case collected by me in lS71-72. At
that time nv mother was living, and
she had good rec ELECTION of the family
history, and there was never any knowl-
edge of such a TRADITION in the family.
Though we were all very indignant at
first, have, after years OF reflection,
concluded that the reason people grab
at the story is not to insult US nor ma
lign dead heroes, but from pleasure at the
thought that the blood of Washington
still runs in the veins fliving men. And
I confess that if | knew it to be true of
some other family there would be GER
tain 8, TT of qualification in thinking
that the blood OF Washington is still in.
human veins. For that reason can
now examine the matter coolly and
ljudiciaily.
GEN. PosEY's AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
"Here, you see, is copy of Gen.
Posey's autobiography saying ne was
born on the Potomac, July 8, 1850. of
respectable parentage.' 1t is copied by
my kinsman. Posey, of Henderson, Ky,
from the original in his possession. The
phrase is the correlative of poor but
| honest parents, familiar in the biogra-
= phIes of half century ago. That is the
beginning and end of our knowledge of
his origin. In my only trip to Mount
Vernon | happened to see on the boat
Washington daily, with letter from
Gen. Washington speaking of stratum
of good building stone running from his
Q milk house to Capt; fosey' o ferry on
the Potomac. This letter was written
= after the Revolution, and Washington
would scarcely have referred to his old
officer as captain after he had long been
q colonel. l conclude, therefore, that II
refers to Capt. John Posey, the son OF
n Thomas Posey. | got a gentleman tC
y search the records of Fairfax County
civil and ecclesiastical, and the only
thing he unearthed was lease from
Thomas Posey to some man OF SINAI
tract of land in Fairfax County, which
was to continue certain time, provided
| the tenant was net caught in any
roguery. Here, you see, are copies o
Posey's various commissions from TIT
State of Virginia AMI from Congress
running from captain to maJof-general
This, from Virginia, where he was bes
known is addressed to Thomas Posey
Gentleman The autobiography state
that he had little education and no for
tame, and early in life went to the west
ern part of Virginia to try to improV
his worldly condition, conclude tina
his parents were people IN moderat
n circumstances, or not noteworthy. Hi
4. first wife was daughter of Col Samp
"A son Mathews, of Virginia, by whom b
had one child, John. He wrote tn
autobiography late in life, when he ha'
been promoted from captain to major
general: had been in the most impor
tsnt battles of the Revolution. includ
inc Burgoynes and CORVALLIS surren
der, aud had distinguished himself AN
for civil life had for two terms bee
governor of Indian Territory; had bee
acknowledgement of Kentucky an
Senator from Louisiana, and his caree
was SO much ahead of that of his father
4 that the latter was not thought neces
sary to name. But the hand of as goo
and brave q man as he was woul
never have penned the words claimin
respectable parentage' had his Dirt
been iIlegitimate. Furthermore, by h
bravery, which can not be overstate,
and his SURPRISING manly beauty, b
was q son of whom no man need hay
been ashamed. and l do not doubt thu
had Washington been his father
would have acknowledged him."
GEN PosEY's SECOND MARRIAGE.
- You spesk of his first marriage. W
u there second?"
YES. 1 do not know when his fir
wife died, but there was a lady, BOZ
Alexander granddaughter of the foul
ders of Alex ndrla. Va. Sac marie
Maj. George Thornton. q 6rst cous
(once removed) of Gen. Washingto
She hesitated about marrying him
the ground that his family was n
equal to hers; but her business advise
an old gentleman, told her it wou
never do to refuse Continental Office
and she married him. Not only "
IN she wealthy in land and negroes, a.
the widow of a member OF most di
- tinguished family but Der own pedigr
is probably one OF the most remarkat
in America and the equal of any in t
world, and runs back to the first ce
tury."
take ans history of Ireland a
iIy. Alexandria is founded BY JOB
q younger son of the Earl OF Steriir
who is granted the land on both sic
ia of the Potomac by Gov. Berkely.
II u Is os he 70